"No, son, that is a transvestite."
December 16, 2007 2:23 PM Subscribe
That's not a ghost, son, that's a transvestite.
posted by found missing at 2:31 PM on December 16, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by found missing at 2:31 PM on December 16, 2007 [2 favorites]
Nice.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:40 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:40 PM on December 16, 2007
I lived in Thailand awhile ago and I went to see a movie based on the "kra-sue" ghost (which is a head that detaches itself from the body at night and flies around with all the entrails and internal organs dangling from it). It was terrible of course, as most Thai movies are, with the exception of everything Apichatpong Weerasethakul has ever made.
posted by Falconetti at 2:41 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by Falconetti at 2:41 PM on December 16, 2007
Tall ghost is still scary in the light.
posted by inconsequentialist at 2:47 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by inconsequentialist at 2:47 PM on December 16, 2007
The blue ghost was clearly metafilter.
I actually thought for a split second that it might've been a tie-in (no pun intended) with some Thai production of Blue Man Group.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:04 PM on December 16, 2007
I actually thought for a split second that it might've been a tie-in (no pun intended) with some Thai production of Blue Man Group.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:04 PM on December 16, 2007
Thai culture has a very strange relationship with ghosts. John Burdett's most recent Bangkok police procedural is largely about that. Not as good as his first one (Bangkok 8) but not bad.
posted by The Bellman at 3:12 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by The Bellman at 3:12 PM on December 16, 2007
You like Mr. Sparkle?
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:50 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by Astro Zombie at 3:50 PM on December 16, 2007
This is certainly much more upbeat than the last time we talked about Thai ads, that's for sure.
posted by clevershark at 4:01 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by clevershark at 4:01 PM on December 16, 2007
The matter-of-factness is charming. Scary in its own way, but charming.
posted by localroger at 4:22 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by localroger at 4:22 PM on December 16, 2007
They must have so much fucking ganja in Thailand.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:24 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:24 PM on December 16, 2007
It's posts like this that make metafilter awesome.
posted by aerotive at 4:41 PM on December 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by aerotive at 4:41 PM on December 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
Metafilter:
You,
You Light up my Life,
Just like the Ghosts,
In the Thai commercials...
posted by kozad at 5:25 PM on December 16, 2007
You,
You Light up my Life,
Just like the Ghosts,
In the Thai commercials...
posted by kozad at 5:25 PM on December 16, 2007
Huh, yeah I saw a kra-sue movie in Cambodia with the floating heads and intestines. I bought this movie poster in Battambang of the movie, evidently it's called Nieng Arp. It was really gruesome and included lots of creepy bloody organ and placenta eating.
A really cool TV show I watched over there was True Asian Horror on Discovery Asia. It was interesting to see how the new Asian directors used old traditional ghost tales in their modern movies.
posted by PHINC at 7:00 PM on December 16, 2007
A really cool TV show I watched over there was True Asian Horror on Discovery Asia. It was interesting to see how the new Asian directors used old traditional ghost tales in their modern movies.
posted by PHINC at 7:00 PM on December 16, 2007
Neat!
posted by jason's_planet at 8:25 PM on December 16, 2007
posted by jason's_planet at 8:25 PM on December 16, 2007
I think the only Thai movie I've seen is Ong-bak, which is awesome (although the plot is a bit cheesy). Love this commercial, though.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 1:11 AM on December 17, 2007
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 1:11 AM on December 17, 2007
my friend who lives in thailand says:
"The line in the subtitles about the transvestite in English is totally different from what is being said in Thai -- it says nothing about a transvestite in Thai but makes a pun on the word "phi khanun" or jackfruit ghost, which is slang for a cheap streetwalking prostitute. I have heard it said that in the old days there were a lot of cheap streetwalkers along one street in Bangkok that had a row of jackfruit trees, and that's how people started calling the hookers there "jackfruit ghosts". Today it means any streetwalking prostitute.
That funny line where the father supposedly says "That's a transvestite" he's actually just saying "That's a person (not a ghost)".
So whoever added subtitles took liberties to change the meanings -- which is often the case with Thai commercials and especially films that are subtitled in English."
posted by gman at 3:26 AM on December 17, 2007
"The line in the subtitles about the transvestite in English is totally different from what is being said in Thai -- it says nothing about a transvestite in Thai but makes a pun on the word "phi khanun" or jackfruit ghost, which is slang for a cheap streetwalking prostitute. I have heard it said that in the old days there were a lot of cheap streetwalkers along one street in Bangkok that had a row of jackfruit trees, and that's how people started calling the hookers there "jackfruit ghosts". Today it means any streetwalking prostitute.
That funny line where the father supposedly says "That's a transvestite" he's actually just saying "That's a person (not a ghost)".
So whoever added subtitles took liberties to change the meanings -- which is often the case with Thai commercials and especially films that are subtitled in English."
posted by gman at 3:26 AM on December 17, 2007
Hey, gman, thanks so much for that comment. Shedding more light on the subject: that's when MetaFilter really shines!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:41 AM on December 17, 2007
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:41 AM on December 17, 2007
Well, the transvestite line is even funnier if you translate it as "That's a man(not a ghost)".
posted by CrazyJoel at 5:04 AM on December 17, 2007
posted by CrazyJoel at 5:04 AM on December 17, 2007
this is a bizarre and distrubing movie clip on youtube with the flying head/intestine thing. Perhaps the same movei PHINC saw?
posted by Sprocket at 3:35 PM on December 17, 2007
posted by Sprocket at 3:35 PM on December 17, 2007
That there is some truly fucked up shit. You have to respect the sheer badassity of Asian ghosts. You know in head-to-head combat they'd totally fuck Dracula and the Mummy's shit straight up.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:45 PM on December 17, 2007
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:45 PM on December 17, 2007
Wonderful find LarryC. Seconding localroger's review " The matter-of-factness is charming. Scary in its own way, but charming." I'd add quite sophisticated too.
Following the banana ghost with the risqué pun on jackfruit ghost is delightfully mischievous, especially with the idea of street walkers and nighttime. Wonder how the commercial has gone down in Thailand?
posted by nickyskye at 8:42 PM on December 17, 2007
Following the banana ghost with the risqué pun on jackfruit ghost is delightfully mischievous, especially with the idea of street walkers and nighttime. Wonder how the commercial has gone down in Thailand?
posted by nickyskye at 8:42 PM on December 17, 2007
I missed this before because I was in Pee Wee Herman land, but this cracked me up! (Especially the transvestite part... some of the prettiest women I've ever seen were Thai men in Bangkok.) I totally loved the whole ghost thing though, because they are obsessed with ghosts there. All of the buildings in Thailand have adjoining spirit houses to keep ghosts outside. Spirit houses are EVERYWHERE... in front of homes, businesses, and even in cemeteries. Thai ghosts have some really kickass homes to live in and are given constant offerings so they won't decide to be roommates with living people. It's a trip.
I don't believe they do the same for transvestites, though.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:06 PM on December 17, 2007
I don't believe they do the same for transvestites, though.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:06 PM on December 17, 2007
I loved that.
too bad that the asian kind of humor never flies at D&AD, cannes or the one show.
posted by krautland at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2007
too bad that the asian kind of humor never flies at D&AD, cannes or the one show.
posted by krautland at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2007
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